The 1977 Navajo Labor Force Survey, an attempt to estimate size and characteristics of the Navajo labor force, uses data from 1,900 unemployed and 1,481 employed adult Navajos on the Navajo Nation, and 438 unemployed and 314 employed Navajos in adjacent towns. Employment opportunities on and near the reservation are severely limited because of lack of manufacturing, heavy industry, and related support services; this accounts for high male unemployment rates and is also important for women, but unemployed females are more likely to emphasize lack of skills/education as barriers to finding adequate employment. The employed Navajo labor force is stable; those who have jobs tend to have fairly long job tenure, largely determined by high numbers of workers employed by federal and tribal agencies. Well-educated Navajos are more likely to find employment than are less-educated Navajos. Navajo women are more apt to be employed than Navajo men. A substantial majority of unemployed Navajos of both sexes desire to work, would work if employment opportunities were available, are actively seeking employment, and indicate willingness to expend substantial effort to obtain employment, including moving off-reservation, commuting long distances, and participating in job-training programs to upgrade skills. (MH)